An area businessman may actually be the best friend of Morrow County's stray and unwanted dogs.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, is donating $250,000 for a new dog shelter in Morrow County. The current facility has been plagued by three floods since February 2011.

"This is just a great thing for the county," Morrow County Commissioner Dick Miller said. "For us to do a dog pound without a benefactor is not going to happen."

Commissioners and the private citizen have been working on a deal for some time.

"It's one of those wonderful times that the private and public sector came together to solve a problem," Commissioner Tom Whiston said.

The shelter has been a problem in recent years because it's in the floodplain.

Last summer, volunteers scrambled to rescue 27 dogs from rising water caused by flooding. In 2011, three dogs died when more than 3 feet of water filled the shelter.

"It appears that flooding has become more prevalent the last few years," Whiston said. "Every time we get heavy rains, it's a concern."

Dog Warden Sarina Atwell said the new shelter will provide peace of mind.

The current shelter sits in the back of fairground property, next to the sewer plant. The new shelter will be built just west of the county jail.

"It will be very visible on U.S. 42," Whiston said.

Atwell added: "One of the biggest complaints that we've had is that we're so difficult to find."

The new shelter also will include what Miller called a "bark park" to allow people to spend time with the dogs they are considering adopting. A street also will be put in to allow access to the shelter.

Whiston said the dog shelter will be built to allow future expansion.

"We want it to be functional," he said. "We want to make sure this isn't a Taj Mahal."

Ground will be broken for the project on Thursday. The shelter should be up and running next summer.

"It's an essential service that we provide," Whiston said. "We want to do it in the best way possible."

Miller added: "We think it's a well thought-out project."

And it's all thanks to an anonymous donor. He and his wife have adopted dogs from the shelter.

"They're genuine dog and animal lovers," Atwell said. "They are passing that along to their kids."

Atwell said the donor is doing it for the right reasons, not because he wants credit.